NICHS runs a number of respiratory support groups and services across Northern Ireland to help people and their families to meet the challenges of living with chest, heart or stroke conditions.

Living with a long term health condition such as chest, heart or stroke illness, affects you not just physically, but also emotionally and socially. Whilst timely and effective medical intervention is essential, people with long term health conditions also need support and guidance to manage their conditions, and lives, on a daily and ongoing basis.

If you want to read about some of the people who have benefited from our groups, click on the photos below:

NICHS’s Respiratory Support Groups meet regularly to offer support to people living with respiratory conditions their families and carers. They:

Allow people to share experiences

Provide information on Living with respiratory condition

Provide information on healthy life styles

Encourage Pro-active Self Management

Promote continued rehabilitation

Organise social events and outings

Provide an opportunity to highlight concerns and advocate on behalf of members.

If you would like to contact your nearest Respiratory Support Group please see the list below or click on the red button to request a call-back:

Breathing Better

In some areas of Northern Ireland, NICHS’s Respiratory Support Groups have been incorporated into the Breathing Better service. This is a collaborative service provided by Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke, your local Health and Social Care Trust and local leisure facilities. It incorporates NICHS’s Respiratory Family Support, the Trust’s pulmonary rehabilitation, NICHS’s ‘Taking Control’ Self Management Programme, then maintenance exercise classes and NICHS’s Respiratory Support Group.

Breathing Better is currently available in the Belfast Trust and the southern part of the Western Trust. We will continue to roll it out across Northern Ireland during 2019.